The present invention relates to a gluing device that applies a glue in a strap shape on an edge portion of a sheet that has been subjected to image forming processing and has been ejected out of an image forming apparatus while the sheet is being conveyed, a glue supply method to supply glue in a glue container to a glue discharging means, a glue supply device, a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and an image forming apparatus with a bookbinding apparatus.
In recent years, there has been offered a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device wherein glue is applied for bookbinding at a prescribed position on a sheet on which an image has been recorded by a main body of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer and a hybrid machine including the copying machine and printer.
A bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device that is presently used includes (1) a device to discharge glue on a sheet by the use of a glue discharging nozzle, (2) a device wherein a glue wheel is provided on a glue-containing box and glue is stuck to an outer circumferential surface of the rotating glue wheel so that the outer circumferential surface of the glue wheel may be brought into contact with a sheet for contact-transfer and (3) a hot melt coating device wherein a mixture of a hot melt agent (thermo-fusion agent) and heated and compressed air is discharged from a nozzle.
In a bookbinding apparatus disclosed in TOKUHYOSHOO No. 59-500907, with regard to a sheet conveyed in the first conveyance direction, the conveyance direction therefor is changed to the second conveyance direction that is perpendicular to the first conveyance direction, and then, glue is coated on an edge of the running sheet linearly so that sheets are pressurized and bound after being stacked and trued up.
In the gluing method and gluing device disclosed in TOKKAIHEI No. 7-80377, glue discharged from a glue-discharging nozzle is subjected to spraying of high pressure air to turn into a thin film.
A conventional supply device that is used presently and supplies glue to a glue-discharging means having a glue-discharging nozzle includes (1) a supply device wherein glue contained in a glue container is force-fed by compressed air and (2) a supply device wherein glue contained in a glue container is force-fed by a micro-gear pump.
The glue supply device and the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device both described above have the following problems.
(A) When external pressures are applied on a glue container in the course of storage of the glue container, glue in the glue container leaks out of an ejection opening.
(B) In the course of replacement of the glue container, glue in the glue container leaks out of an ejection opening.
(C) In the course of replacement of the glue container, air enters through an ejection opening to generate glue discharge failure caused by glue supply failure.
A first object of the invention is to solve the problems stated above, to improve a glue supply device of a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and to attain easy maintenance work, low noise and down-sizing all for a glue supply device, and thereby to provide a gluing device attaining automation of the glue supply device, the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device.
Further, the glue supply device in the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device stated above has the following problems.
(D) In the course of replacement of the glue container, when the glue ejection opening of the glue container is connected with a connection means connected to a supply tube that is connected to the glue discharging means, glue in the glue container leaks out of the connection means.
(E) The structure of the connection means that prevents leakage of glue in the course of replacement of the glue container turns out to be complicated. Further, operations for replacement of the glue container becomes complicated, resulting in occurrence of glue leakage and glue supply failure caused by erroneous operations.
A second object of the invention is to solve the problems stated above, to improve a glue supply device of a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and to attain prevention of glue leakage in the course of replacement of the glue container of the glue supply device, easy operations for replacement of the glue container, simplification of the structure of the connection means and stabilization of glue supply, and thereby to provide a glue supply device attaining automation thereof, the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device.
(1) The problems (A), (B) and (C) stated above can be solved by a gluing device described in either one of the following Structures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the invention.
Structure 1: A gluing device having therein a pressuring means which presses a glue container containing liquid glue to eject contained glue from an ejection opening, a supply tube through which the ejected glue is transported from the glue container, a connecting means on the glue container side which connects the supply tube to the glue container, a connecting means on the supply tube side which detachably connects the connecting means on the glue container side to the supply tube, and a glue discharging means which receives the glue transported through the supply tube and delivers them from a nozzle opening, wherein there is provided a valve member provided inside the connecting means on the glue container side that makes the ejection opening to be opened and closed, and a protrusion is provided inside the connecting means on the supply tube side so that the protrusion presses the valve member to open the ejection opening when the connecting means on the supply tube side is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side.
Structure 2: A gluing device having therein a pressuring means which presses a glue container containing liquid glue to eject contained glue from an ejection opening, a supply tube through which the ejected glue is transported from the glue container, a connecting means on the glue container side which is connected to the glue container, a connecting means on the supply tube side which is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side detachably and is connected to the supply tube, and a glue discharging means which receives the glue transported through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, wherein there is provided a valve member which is moved by gravity on an inclined face formed on an inner wall of the connecting means on the glue container side to close the ejection opening, and inside the connecting means on the supply tube side, there is provided a protrusion which presses the valve member to open the ejection opening when the connecting means on the supply tube side is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side.
Structure 3: A gluing device having therein a pressuring means which presses a glue container containing liquid glue to eject contained glue from an ejection opening, a supply tube through which the ejected glue is transported from the glue container, a connecting means on the glue container side which is connected to the glue container, a connecting means on the supply tube side which is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side detachably and is connected to a receiving portion of the supply tube, and a glue discharging means which receives the glue transported through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, wherein the connecting means on the glue container side is provided with a first connection member that is connected to the ejection opening of the glue container, a valve member that is arranged inside the first connection member and has, on its tip portion, a cone portion, a second connection member that closes a glue flowing path with a cone surface which engages with the cone portion of the valve member and with a moving means that moves the second connection member, and the moving means moves the second connection member of the connecting means on the glue container side to separate the cone portion of the valve member from the cone surface of the second connection member and thereby to enable glue in the glue container to be supplied to the glue discharging means, interlocking with operations for connecting the connecting means on the supply tube side to the connecting means on the glue container side.
Structure 4: A gluing device having therein a pressuring means which presses a glue container containing liquid glue to eject contained glue from an ejection opening, a supply tube through which the ejected glue is transported from the glue container, a connecting means on the glue container side which is connected to the glue container, a connecting means on the supply tube side which is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side detachably and is connected to a receiving portion of the supply tube, and a glue discharging means which receives the glue transported through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, wherein the connecting means on the glue container side is provided with a connection member that is connected to the ejection opening of the glue container, an elastic valve member that enables the ejection opening to be opened and closed, and an urging member that urges the elastic valve member to close the ejection opening, and inside the connecting means on the supply tube side, there is provided a protrusion which presses the elastic valve member to open the ejection opening when the connecting means on the supply tube side is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side.
Structure 5: A gluing device having therein a pressuring means which presses a glue container containing liquid glue to eject contained glue from an ejection opening, a supply tube through which the ejected glue is transported from the glue container, a connecting means on the glue container side which is connected to the glue container, a connecting means on the supply tube side which is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side detachably and is connected to a receiving portion of the supply tube, and a glue discharging means which receives the glue transported through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, wherein the connecting means on the glue container side is formed in a double-structure shape including a membrane member that closes the ejection opening of the glue container and is capable of being opened and closed and an outer cover member that protects the membrane member and has an opening which agrees positionally with the ejection opening when it is rotated, and after the ejection opening of the glue container and the opening of the outer cover member are made to agree with each other, the connecting means on the supply tube side is connected to the connecting means on the glue container side, and pressure is given by the pressuring means so that the membrane member may be ruptured by pressure of the glue in the glue container, thus the glue in the glue container is supplied to the glue discharging means.
(2) A bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device of the invention is characterized to be provided with the gluing device described in Structure 1 above, a housing means wherein a plurality of sheets subjected to glue-coating processing by the gluing device are housed to be arranged and a pressuring means that applies pressure on glue-coated portions of the arranged plural sheets.
(3) An image forming apparatus with a bookbinding apparatus is characterized to be provided with an image forming apparatus main body composed of an image writing means, an image forming means and a sheet conveyance means and with the bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device described in item (2) above.
(4) The problems (D) and (E) stated above can be solved by a glue supply method described in Structure 6 or Structure 7.
Structure 6: A glue supply method for supplying glue ejected from a glue ejection opening of a capsule member that is connected to a flexible bag object containing liquid glue to a glue discharging means through a connecting means and a supply tube, wherein when the connecting means is advanced to be connected to the capsule member, a projected tip portion of a projection member fixed on a movable valve member that enables a glue-receiving opening of the connecting means to be opened and closed breaks through an inner cover that covers the glue ejection opening of the capsule member to open the glue ejection opening, and when the connecting means is further advanced, the projected tip portion comes in contact with a stop portion of the capsule member to make the movable valve member to retreat, and thereby, the glue receiving opening of the connecting means is opened.
Structure 7: A glue supply method for supplying glue ejected from a glue ejection opening of a capsule member that is connected to a flexible bag object containing liquid glue to a glue delivery means through a connecting means and a supply tube, wherein after the glue receiving opening of the connecting means and the glue ejection opening of the capsule member are made to agree with each other by advancing the connecting means and thereby connecting to the capsule member, a movable breaking member provided in the vicinity of the glue receiving opening of the connecting means is advanced by a driving means, and thereby an inner cover that covers a glue ejection opening of the capsule member is broken by a projected tip portion of the movable breaking member so that the glue ejection opening is opened.
(5) The problems (D) and (E) stated above can be solved by the glue supply device described in either one of Structures 8, 9 and 10.
Structure 8: A glue supply device having therein a glue container containing liquid glue, a pressuring means that presses the glue container to eject glue contained in the glue container, a supply tube through which the glue ejected from the glue container is conveyed, a glue discharging means that receives glue conveyed through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, and a connecting means that connects a capsule member of the glue container detachably to the supply tube, wherein the glue container has therein the capsule member, an inner cover that intercepts a part of the glue container and is capable of being broken and a stop portion fixed on the part of the glue container inside the inner cover, while, the connecting means is provided with a connection member having a glue receiving opening that is connected to the supply tube, a movable valve member that is supported movably in the connecting member and makes the glue receiving opening to be capable of being opened and closed, a projection member having a projected tip portion fixed on the movable valve member, and an elastic member that urges the movable valve member, and when the connecting means is advanced to be engaged with the capsule member for the purpose of connecting the connecting means to the glue container, the projected tip portion of the projection member breaks the inner cover to open the part of the glue container, and when the connecting means is further advanced, the projected tip portion comes into contact with the stop portion of the capsule member to make the movable valve member to retreat against urging force of the elastic member and thereby to open the glue receiving opening of the connecting member.
Structure 9: A glue supply device having therein a glue container containing liquid glue, a pressuring means that presses the glue container to eject glue contained in the glue container, a supply tube through which the glue ejected from the glue container is conveyed, a glue discharging means that receives glue conveyed through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, and a connecting means that connects a capsule member of the glue container detachably to the supply tube, wherein the glue container has the capsule member and an inner cover that intercepts a part of the glue container and is capable of being broken, while, the connecting means is provided with a connection member having a glue receiving opening that is connected to the supply tube, a movable breaking member having a projected tip portion supported movably in the vicinity of the glue receiving opening of the connection member, and a driving means that drives the movable breaking member, and when the connecting means is advanced by the driving means after the glue receiving opening of the connecting means and the capsule member are made to agree positionally with each other by advancing the connecting means and thereby by connecting the connecting means to the glue container, the inner cover is broken by the projected tip portion of the movable breaking member so that the part of the glue container is opened.
Structure 10: A glue supply device having therein a glue container containing liquid glue, a pressuring means that presses the glue container to eject out glue contained in the glue container, a supply tube through which the glue ejected from the glue container is conveyed, a glue discharging means that receives glue conveyed through the supply tube and discharges them from a nozzle opening, and a connecting means that connects a capsule member of the glue container detachably to the supply tube, wherein the glue container has the capsule member and an inner cover that intercepts a part of the glue container and is capable of being broken, while, the connecting means has therein a connecting member having a glue receiving opening that is connected to the supply tube, a movable breaking member having a projected tip portion supported movably in the vicinity of the glue receiving opening of the connecting member, and a driving means that drives the movable breaking member, and the movable breaking member stops at the position where the glue receiving opening of the connecting means is intercepted, when the glue container and the connecting means leave each other, to prevent glue in the connecting means and the supply tube from flowing out.
(6) A bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device of the invention is characterized to be provided with a glue supply device described in Structure 8, a glue discharging means that receives glue supplied from the glue supply device and discharges them from a nozzle opening, a conveyance means that conveys a sheet subjected to gluing processing conducted by the glue discharging means, a housing means that arranges and houses sheets subjected to the gluing processing, a pressuring means that conducts bookbinding by pressing a bundle of arranged sheets, and with a sheet ejection means that ejects a booklet thus bound.
(7) An image forming apparatus of the invention is characterized to be provided with an image forming apparatus main body composed of an image writing means, an image forming means and a sheet conveyance means and with a bookbinding apparatus with a gluing device described in item (6) above.